Have you seen the label for Diet Coke Plus? Check that out to the right -- the soft drink claims that it's "Diet Coke with VITAMINS & MINERALS"! That means that Diet Coke is finally healthy, right? Not quite.The Wall Street Journal reports that the FDA has sent Coca-Cola Co. a warning letter stating that the beverage doesn't contain enough vitamins and minerals to be considered "plus." That word is, apparently, reserved for the foods that have at least "10% more of the reference daily intake or daily reference value of a nutrient than a similar product." And they also note that it's not quite kosher to try and make a carbonated beverage fortified.
Coke has no plans to change their label, and the FDA is waiting for them to "take prompt action to correct these violations." So, it should be an exciting little war come the New Year.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-24-2008 @ 5:08PM
Michele said...
I was wondering when this was going to happen!!! I thought it was a dumb ass concept to begin with.
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12-24-2008 @ 5:35PM
Michael Schmitt said...
I, too, was wondering when the FDA was going to enforce the use of the word "plus" in this product.
However, there will be a slippery slope to traverse if the FDA is going to not allow fortified foods to be "kosher" as Monika points out. Does this mean that they don't want soy milk to contain calcium carbonate for calcium and will they start cracking down on powerbar type products that have vitamins and minerals added? If it isn't "kosher" to fortify carbonated drinks, then is it OK to fortify non-carbonated drinks, like Kool-Aid?
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12-25-2008 @ 2:11AM
fooducate said...
Health claims on food products have been an area of contention between manufacturers and the regulator for many years. The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA) defined what claims could be made about food and in some cases which wording could be used. For more information see:
Health Claims on Packaged Foods - A Quick Primer
http://www.fooducate.com/blog/2008/12/05/health-claims-on-packaged-foods-a-quick-primer/
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12-25-2008 @ 2:13AM
Dr. Electro said...
Has the Coca-Cola corporation finally met its match? Does the regulatory agency actually have more clout than Coke? This will be interesting to watch for a few days. Then the inauguration will grab the spotlight and consumer culture in America as a whole won't give two hoots about Diet Coke Plus and the FDA.
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